Tag Archives: The Philippines

The Philippines‘ embattled Supreme Court chief justice urged Filipinos on Wednesday to stand up against authoritarianism and threats to human rights, in an indirect criticism of the country’s volatile leader, who has long called for her removal.

Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno is facing two ouster attempts, including by President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration, whose legal counsel asked the Supreme Court to expel her for allegedly not declaring her assets in the past, making her ineligible to be the country’s judicial leader.

The justice committee of the House of Representatives, which is dominated by Duterte’s allies, is expected to vote Thursday to uphold an impeachment case against Sereno, who has gone on indefinite leave. Thirteen justices of the 15-member court have backed Sereno’s leave amid the strife lashing the judiciary.

“The current state of the nation is one where perceived enemies of the dominant order are considered fair game for harassment, intimidation and persecution, where shortcuts are preferred over adherence to constitutional guarantees of human rights,” Sereno said in a speech at a Manila college.

The chief justice of the Philippines, who has resisted some of President Rodrigo Duterte’s policies on the grounds that they flouted human rights and the rule of law, faces an impeachment vote next week over accusations that she had concealed some of her income for years.

Supporters of the chief justice, Maria Lourdes Sereno, the first woman to lead the Philippine judiciary, say that Mr. Duterte’s allies organized the impeachment push to remove a thorn in his side. Chief Justice Sereno has denied the allegations.

“I am trying to show the people what it means to fight for an institution, what it means to fight for democratic values,” she said in an interview last month. “This fight is much larger than myself. It is about our democratic way of life and preserving our gains as a people.”

The camp of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, accepting the inevitability of her impeachment in the House of Representatives, has expressed confidence she will be able to defend herself and win in the Senate trial.

Sereno on Wednesday said she would be preparing for her defense in the trial as she embarked on an indefinite leave starting Thursday.

“I want to give you the assurance that while I will be taking a leave of absence, the ship of state of the judiciary remains on course,” Sereno told the 25th national convention of the Regional Trial Court Clerks of Court Association of the Philippines held at the Manila Hotel.

By all indications, the impeachment of the Chief Justice is imminent in the House of Representatives, a spokesperson for Sereno, Josa Deinla, told the Inquirer.

“After all, the congressmen and Speaker [Pantaleon] Alvarez had been saying that the proceedings at the committee on justice are nothing but a formality,” Deinla said.

The House justice committee is set to vote next week on the existence of probable cause in the impeachment complaint lodged against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

According to Committee chairman Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, the panel will hear for the last time on Tuesday the impeachment complaint against Sereno which was filed by lawyer Lorenzo Gadon.

Umali said next week’s hearing gives members of the justice committee enough time to think about how they would be voting.

“Since it would all depend on the individual appreciation of the committee, I encourage everyone to be mindful of our timeline today so that we will be able to make an informed decision or judgment when we vote on the probable cause,” he told members of the committee.

Sereno is facing impeachment for alleged culpable violation of the Constitution, corruption, and betrayal of public trust.

On reports that SC Justices asked the Chief Justice to go on leave indefinitely

The NUPL is disconcerted at reports that some magistrates of the High Court have asked the Chief Justice to take an ‘indefinite’ leave in an apparent effort to browbeat her in her own turf.

If true, this
exposes the widening cracks in the institution which impact on
the independence of the Judiciary, the Court’s very integrity, and ironically, on respect for the Constitution apparently because of political designs, personal considerations, or convenient acquiescence to the dark side.

We submit that the Justices are bereft of any basis in law where they could prevent any of their colleagues from discharging their oath of office under the guise of an official leave, much less declaring the post of a sitting justice vacant.

If the reports are accurate, we seriously regret that the concerned Justices have prejudged the impeachment proceedings that is yet to be concluded at the House of Representatives or of a possible trial in the Senate.

Worse, the said Justices have practically impeached their own colleague, instead of letting the process take its course in accordance with the Constitution they swore to uphold and to stand as supposed symbols of law and justice.

The losing party here is not the Chief Justice nor any Justice of the Court. It is also not the Court or the entire judicial system. It is the residual faith of the people in already unresponsive institutions whose roles are being wilted away, willingly or unwillingly, to de facto authoritarianism.#

The Observatory condemns Philippine Senator Leila de Lima’s arbitrary and politically motivated detention, and calls for her immediate release and for all charges against her to be dropped. Tomorrow will mark one year since Senator de Lima, a critic of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, was detained on unsubstantiated drug charges.

“Senator de Lima’s arbitrary detention is aimed at silencing her and intimidating other lawmakers and government critics from speaking out against the brutal killings that have been carried out as part of President Duterte’s ‘war on drugs.’ She should be immediately released and all charges against her dropped,” said FIDH Secretary-General Debbie Stothard.

On February 24, 2017, Ms. Leila de Lima handed herself in to police, a week after the Department of Justice filed three charges against her under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act, and a day after a Manila court issued a warrant for her arrest. The charges were related to de Lima’s alleged involvement in a drug trafficking ring inside the New Bilibid Prison in Metro Manila’s Muntinlupa City, while she was Department of Justice Secretary. If convicted, de Lima could face between 12 years and life in prison.

De Lima has been a staunch critic of President Duterte’s approach to combatting crimes and drug trafficking. In 2009, as Chair of the Philippine Commission on Human Rights (CHR), she initiated a probe into Duterte’s involvement in the ‘Davao Death Squad’ during his time as mayor of Davao City. In August 2016, as Chair of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, de Lima convened hearings on the hundreds of killings that had been carried out as part of President Duterte’s ‘war on drugs.’ On September 19, 2016, a group of Senators voted to replace de Lima as Chair of the Committee, effectively shutting down the hearings.

President Duterte has repeatedly targeted de Lima. Prior to her imprisonment, he had pledged to “destroy her in public.” He also made personal attacks against her, accusing de Lima of “immorality” for allegedly having had an affair with her driver.

Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno has expressed concerns over the number of lawyers who were killed in an ambush over the past years.

“I think everyone should be alarmed. For any country in the world, when killings are done brazenly, every citizen must ask where society is headed towards. Is this a breakdown that we are seeing?,” she said in a dialogue with law students at the Sacred Heart Center in Cebu City on Wednesday afternoon.

Sereno gave her reaction in response to queries on the death of Cebuano lawyer Jonnah John Ungab who was gunned down in broad daylight by a still unidentified assailant infront of the Cebu City Hall of Justice last Monday.

Ungab, the lawyer of self-confessed drug lord Rolando “Kerwin” Espinosa Jr., was the 10th lawyer who killed in Cebu since 2004.

Sereno extended his condolences to Ungab’s family and hoped that the killing won’t stop other lawyers from carrying their roles in protecting their clients and making sure that justice is served.

The chief justice requested Executive Judge Gilbert Moises of the Regional Trial Court in Cebu City to provide the Supreme Court a copy of the police report on Ungab’s slay so that proper actions can be taken to secure members of the judiciary and the lawyers.

Ronda town Vice Mayor Jonah John Ungab received death threats hours before he was killed in an ambush here, his wife said Wednesday.

Ungab, legal counsel of confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa, received text messages on Monday asking him to choose between his life or his client’s life. Hours later, he was shot by unidentified gunmen while he was driving along S. Osmeña Street.

“He was killed because he was doing his job as a lawyer. To represent someone in court,” Ungab’s wife Pearl, who was in the passenger seat during the ambush, said in a press conference.

“I don’t know what justice is all about now. I, as a grieving wife, is calling upon the public to help us,” she said.

#Philippines: The CCBE expresses its shock over the murder of lawyer Jonah John Ungab. The CCBE urges the government of the Philippines to take the necessary measures to ensure the safety of lawyers performing their professional duties. https://t.co/W5BScoQ0bG#humanrights